History Untold
by MillerElizabeth
Summary: What if the roles were switched? Bad boy Stefan meets the gorgeous Elena Pearce, quickly becoming entangled within her wicked and supernatural history. Basically Vampire Diaries with the roles switched, rated M for language, sexual themes, drug relevance; AU/OTP :D enjoy
1. Change

A Love's Curse

**Now before you go all ape shit on me...I know. It's been forever since I've updated, and I truly am sorry. This past year kind of sucked for me, and I lost all motivation to keep writing. But life is getting a little better for me, and hopefully this will be my biggest story yet *crosses fingers***

**This story will seem super off to you, mostly because I've taken all of the original characters and switched their roles around. However, this fanfic is entirely non-AU, because I'll be using each episode as an outline for each chapter. Though it seems AU, the plot line still stays the same for the most part.**

**If you'd like a full description of the family tree and how this story works, please PM me. If you think you're just going to figure it out like you did when you watched the Vampire Diaries, then I hope you find what you're looking for.**

**Oh, and by the way: the originals are still all the same. They just have different interactions with different characters. And all of the vamp rules stay the same: toxic vervaine, daylight jewelry, inviting into houses, all that jazz….**

**Best wishes, Miller *blows kiss**

Ch.1

"Caroline! Please hurry up! I'm sure you look great," I yelled, banging on the bathroom door. She'd been "in the shower" for forty-five minutes. Sometimes I was just clueless as to how girls needed that much time to get ready. If my shirt was clean, hair was washed, teeth brushed, and my deodorant thoroughly applied, I was set to go.

I finally gave up, knowing that today was the first day of junior year and I wouldn't look as presentable as my mother would've wanted. Smiling at the thought of mom lecturing Caroline about bathroom time, I walked coolly back into my room, involuntarily reaching for my pen and journal:

"Today will be different. I will present myself as the totally normal Stefan. I will not be fazed by my miserable and horrifically drug-induced summer and show everyone at school that I'm okay. I will say 'I'm fine, thanks. Much better.' Yes. That is what I will do. I will smile and it will be believable."

I closed my journal, satisfied with today's entry. I'd been skipping some days writing because of all the bad shit I was doing to myself. Weed, crack, pharmaceuticals, etc. This past summer, I had found out that my father had left us when I was five years old, but my mother had always told me that he had died in a violent car crash when I was a baby. I was mad at not only my mother, the sheriff of the little town of Mystic Falls, but at my father himself for walking out on a family that desperately needed him. My mother raised my little, obnoxious sister, Caroline, and I all by herself, and to say that she tried would be an understatement. She gave her all when it came to us, and even though I hated that she lied to both my sister and me, I couldn't bring myself to hate such a caring person.

I gingerly placed my journal behind the growing pile of books that I had finished inside of my little desk. Making sure it was in its rightful place, I grabbed my backpack and headed out of my room. Just as I was beginning to take the first step down the staircase, Caroline rushed out towards her bedroom, curlers in her hair and half of her face made up. "Looking great, Car!" I boomed, walking down the stairs while watching her eyes like darts stare me down.

The kitchen coming into view, I could see my mother frantically running around the island, grabbing food, looking for items for her belt, half-dressed in pajamas and her uniform, and trying to make lunches.

"Good morning, Mom," I cooed, her eyes looking up in horror and then in delight. She skipped over to me and gave me a tight, loving hug. Blame me, but after my drug haze this summer, I had become a little bit of a momma's boy.

"Good morning, sweetheart. You're lunch is almost ready. What do you want for breakfast?" she questioned as she maneuvered around the many appliances in our kitchen.

"Mom? It's okay. Coffee is fine. You need to get ready. Isn't there a meeting today?"

She smiled, "My boy, always looking out for your scatterbrained mother. My meeting doesn't start until…now." She checked her watch; it was 7:45. Running around, she grabbed the things on the island and ran like lightning up the stairs to her room. Chuckling to myself, I poured myself a black coffee. About to take a sip, Caroline came rushing downstairs, now fully dressed with her hair done and makeup applied and snatched the mug right out from my slender fingers.

"Sorry, Stef. I'm kind of rushing," she confessed, looking for all of her school supplies she had left on the counter behind me. Grinning, I turned around and lifted the binders and held them out for her. Clearing my throat, I held them out to her as she heavily breathed with relief. Mouthing a "thank you" she ran back upstairs to get her bag for school. I quickly poured myself another little cup of coffee and drank the entire cup, the hot roast burning my throat. One uncomfortable moment down today. Now it was time to face everyone at school.

Walking towards the front door, I yelled to Caroline. "Five minutes, Car. I'm leaving in five minutes," and in no time at all, she was right behind me, following me out the door.

"Dear Diary,

This is terrible of me. I shouldn't have come. I know the serious risk I'm taking, but I can't help it. I have to know him. He could be the one I've been looking for. The one who could save me. Possibly the one who could make me learn not to hate myself for what I am, who I've become. But there isn't any time to waste. I will blend in today and not lose myself. I will be normal."

I closed my journal, pondering what I'd written. It sounded human, like I was in fact normal again. I missed being a human, being able to feel without remorse or pain. But everything I felt was now pain: from the people I'd killed, from the pain I'd caused their families. I had experienced darkness first-hand, and I'd dreaded every minute of it.

But that was all over now, that part of my life was gone. I was going to start fresh, back where it all began.

"Elena," a voice called from behind. I was too focused in thought to hear the footsteps before. Slowly turning my head, trying to keep my hopefulness in tact, I faced Isobel, my apparent "aunt", when she was really a distant niece of mine. Over the years, we'd grown apart, mostly because she realized that I was an ancestor and obviously a vampire. When Isobel had studied at Duke University, she had invested her life's work into paranormal activity, especially in relation to Mystic Falls, where she had grown up. At the time of meeting me, she had asked that I change her into a vampire, for her marriage was disintegrating and she wanted to be one. However, I declined the offer, telling her that I wouldn't be able to stop once I'd started. Understanding where I was coming from, she had let the subject go; only bringing it up occasionally.

"Good morning, Isobel. How are you?" I questioned warmly. There was a part of me that wanted her to just leave town for her own sake, but there was another part of me that wanted her here so that I wasn't alone. I'd been alone for a very long time, and I wasn't quite ready to let go of the only family I had left.

"Quite alright. I trust that you're excited for your first day of school…again," she quipped, smirking. To her this was funny; a girl who constantly went back to high school, but to me it was a curse. I smiled at her, realizing that it wasn't time to be harsh to the only person I had left.

"I am. I'll be down in a little bit; I have to finish getting ready. Thank you for checking on me," and with my thanks came a hug that I rushed to give her. She chuckled as my hands wrapped around her tiny, fragile body. Smiling, I rested my head in the crook of her neck, ignoring the pulsing life coursing through her veins. I'd learned to control the urge around her, but I wasn't sure I could control it just around anyone.

"Anytime. I will talk to you later. Big meeting at the University today for all of the faculty," she told me, pulling away and sheepishly giving me a smile. I admired her milk-white teeth and dark hair, something she'd inherited from my side of the family. Mouthing goodbye, I watched her walk out of my room, slumping a little like she was disappointed about something.

I shrugged it off, trying to focus on how to face my first day. Confident. Cool.

Human.

In my '68 red Volkswagen bug, I pulled up to Mystic Falls High School, trying to ignore the ruckus outside my windows. Putting my sunglasses in their proper compartment inside my car, I shut my car off and opened the door. Thankfully, the world didn't stop when I stepped into the sunshine. Embracing the warmth, I shut the car door, letting go of a big breath that I was holding. With my backpack, I began to walk towards the front entrance. As I stepped onto the sidewalk and began walking, I felt a cold pair of hands wrap around my eyes.

"Guess who?" a female voice questioned, giggling. I let out a long "uhhh" before spinning around quicker than my anonymous kidnapper had intended. There she was. Lexi, the blonde-wonder that somehow managed to become the teen heart breaker of our class. Whether or not she actually meant to rip out boys' hearts, she still had a huge heart of gold, always trying to help people in trouble. There was never anything romantic between us, because there were too many similarities: favorite movies and books, favorite food, favorite hobbies, etc.

"Good morning, Lexi," I cooed, pulling her into a tight embrace. It had been a very long summer, but it would have been longer without her helping me. In the past, I didn't have anyone to help me out of my drug-induced haze. But Lexi came back into my life right about the time I realized my father had left us. As the coke coursed through my veins and the marijuana clouded my head, she had found the real me inside.

"Wow. You seem…calm. Was there a little bit of help this morning?" She joked, smelling my jacket and peered into my pupils to make sure they weren't dilated.

Giving her that I-don't-like-the-sarcasm face, I remove her hands from my cheeks and thrust them down away from me. "No," I spit, disgusted of what I used to be. "I'm completely me. Normal."

She scoffed. "Wait. There's a _normal _Stefan?" she questioned looking at me with crazed eyes.

"Yes! And apparently, he likes to get drunk at parties, and be social. Isn't that weird?" I smiled, laughing on the inside, but then went back to the brooding face that I'd apparently gotten to used to forming.

"Oh my gosh. This is news. I'll have to have normal Stefan around more often," she confessed, looping an arm around my shoulders and joined me in walking inside the school. With Lexi's surprise this morning, I began to believe that everything would be okay in the long haul.

I approached my locker, seemingly close to the one I'd had last semester. Opening it up and jamming my books inside, Lexi kept on yapping about some girl who had just come to school.

"I mean, who does that? She backed into my car. In the shopping mall parking lot, while I was there, and then she left! My dad's going to find her, hopefully before I do…" Lexi was babbling, always gossiping. She was quite the talker, but she still had a pure heart.

"Lex, calm down, it was just a fender bender."

"I know, but still. It was strange. Oh, look, here comes the longing stare…" I was focusing on what classes I was taking and which binders to use until I realized Lexi's mouth had shut. I looked towards where her voice was leading, and I found Bonnie peering straight through me. Her eyes were angry, filled with hate. This past summer we had dated for a while, until she found out I was using. Then she took this violent act of silence and threatened to break up with me. Apparently, I was blind drunk when I butt-dialed her and did the deed myself. Even though I can't actually remember that night, Bonnie and I ended, but I wasn't sad about it. There was something missing the entire time. I never considered her _the one. _She continued glaring at me, silently cursing at me with her mind. Slamming her locker, she stomped away.

"What's her deal?" Lexi asked, pulling me out of my daydreams.

"I don't know, Lex. I'm going to go to class, I'll see you at lunch," and after wishing her goodbye and giving her a tight hug, I sped off to history.

Walking down the hallway, I ignored the stares and whispers about my eventful summer. I could hear some conversations about shoes that eventually turned into the tragedy that I am. However, there were some conversations that weren't about me, but I stayed out of them, knowing I wouldn't like people eavesdropping on me.

"Stefan! Hey, man, wait!" I heard a male voice call from behind. Before turning around, Mason Lockwood put me in a headlock. "What's up, bro? I haven't seen you in forever!"

Smiling, I released myself from his grip and returned his hug, appreciating one of the only true friends I had left. "Much better, thanks, Mason. How was your summer? How's Jules?"

Mason's joy faded ever so slightly as I brought up his girlfriend and his summer. "Uh, my summer was pretty good, lots of family trips. Jules actually moved to Florida. Without telling me. So I guess we're over…"

I immediately regretted ever saying anything. "Mason, dude, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"It's okay. It's high school. Ha, who cares, right? Anyway, are you on your way to history? I would really like to know someone in these damn classes of mine."

His charm was back. "Yeah, man. Let's go," he replied. As soon as I agreed, we sauntered off to history.

Walking into the history room, I saw many familiar faces. All I could really do is smile and hope that people wouldn't confront me about my drug-filled summer. I had already gotten some dirty looks from Vicki Donovan and Jeremy Gilbert, two huge drug kids. There was no room for my judgment, considering I'd been in there shoes, but their drug use was a little too prolonged for my taste.

Mason leaned over to talk to me. "So, dude, did you hear about the new girl?" I was haphazardly listening to Mr. Saltzman teach us about the history of Mystic Falls whilst listening to Mason. "She's smoking hot."

"Really? Like Megan Fox, or what?" I asked, curious as to who was joining our junior class.

"Well, I don't know. I haven't actually seen her. But Stevie said that she's like an untapped resource. Good body, great rack, but she's also really nice. Dude! You should go out with her!" he whispered, silently proud of himself for pairing me with a mystery girl.

"Mason, think about it. I just ended things with Bonnie, plus I did hardcore shit for like three months. She'd never go for a guy like me," and with my closing statement, I quickly went back to Mr. Saltzman's lecture, trying to actually pay attention.

"You never know, bro," Mason concluded, shaking his head and smirking in my direction. I gave him a light punch to the arm, and he clutched it jokingly. "Harsh, dick," he joked. I smiled at his humor, as he was a good friend to have around.

Class went by faster than I thought it was going to, and once the bell rang, I was ready to head to English, one of my favorite classes. As I walked through the hallway, Lexi came up next to me. "Sup, stud?"

I chuckled, "Hello to you to Lexi." We walked down the hall, Lexi chatting me up like a best girlfriend. As I pondered through the things she was talking about, I realized that Lexi could be a lot of use to me. "Lex?"

"Yeah, Stef. What's up?"

I cleared my throat. "So, Mason told me about this new girl at the school. He _heard _that she was hot and really nice. Do you think—"

"Of course, Stef," she interrupted, knowing exactly what I was getting at, "I will have as much as I can by lunch time. Sit with me?"

I smiled, giving her a hug. "Thanks, Lex, and of course. I'll grab Mason and we can sit outside or something."

"Sounds like a plan," she concluded, stopping in front of her calculus class, because she had been exceptionally smart in math since we were kids. "I'll see you at lunch!"

Waving goodbye, I continued towards my English class, ready to embrace a subject that I had a lot of experience in.

Lunch came around fairly quickly after English and Chemistry. Science hadn't been a strong suit, but I had always loved Chemistry. I thought of it like math with letters and rules and symbols. I chose this class, and my mom was all for me pursuing a chemistry dream. Though I didn't know what I really wanted to do, I always had chemistry to back me up, being one of my top classes.

Walking into the cafeteria, I had forgotten how many people there were. No one gave me any weird stares, which was a little fear that I had had, but I rushed into the lunch line before the crowd from Mr. Saltzman's class barreled in. He liked to keep his lectures long, and past the bell. If you were in that class before lunchtime, you were probably going to be sprinting to get food from the lunch line. After successfully reaching the line and getting my food, I smirked as people crowded in the line behind me.

Grabbing two burgers, chips, and some water, I walked out of the line, searching for Lexi and Mason. Through the windows I could see them chatting up…rather Lexi babbling away while Mason desperately tries to stay awake.

By the time I walked outside and sat under the tree where Lexi and Mason were sitting, I had interrupted a very deep conversation, and the focus had gone to me.

"Stefan! I've got some great news!" Lexi called, grabbing a carrot stick and crunching it loudly. Though she was always dressing and acting feminine, there were some times when she would act out of sorts. It was quite amusing, actually.

"Lay it on, Lex. I'm ready for anything…" and as I said this I drew my face in, clasped my hands, and watched her eyes intently.

"So. This girl. Her name is Elena. Elena Pearce," she spilled, pulling out a piece of paper with little scribbles in her adorable handwriting, "and she lives here with her Aunt Isobel in the Pearce Estate. No siblings, mother died in a car crash with a drunk driver. She's a cancer, loves to read, and is in calculus with me. Very good at math. Oh, and her favorite color is light orange – the color of the sunset." And as she concluded her little biography, both Mason and I stared at her in amazement.

"How in the hell did you learn all of that before lunch?" Mason questioned, confused by how much she actually knew.

"Babe, please. I learned all of this between second and third period," Lexi chuckled, biting into her sandwich and surveying the people around us. "Oh, look, here she comes now!"

Mason turned around as I continued to gaze in awe at Lexi's powers of extracting information. I believe that his jaw dropped a considerable amount before I turned to join his gaze. There, walking out of the doorway was one of the most breathtaking women I'd ever seen. She had long, thick brown hair, sleek and straight. To compliment her gorgeous locks, she had a beautiful bone structure in her cheeks, high and defined, but still soft. Deep dark eyes, perfect pink-rose lips, and a beautiful build. She didn't actually have the big breasts that Mason spoke so highly of, but I was caught off guard by how she held herself: tall and confident, like she didn't care about being a new kid in school.

Mason was still daydreaming about her when I was shaking his shoulder. "Mason, hey, dude, snap out of it," and I as I pulled him out of his dreams, Elena stopped walking towards our table and hurriedly went to another by herself. Mason looked at me and began to giggle.

"Dude. She's so much hotter in person," Mason confessed, and with this he proceeded to get up. Lexi, however, quickly stopped his advances.

"Oh no no no. I don't think so. I'll go talk to her," she demanded. Mason and I looked at her with wild eyes. Giving us a quick wink, she got up and sped over to Elena's table.

School hadn't been that dreadful. I'd been to some pretty shitty first-days, but Mystic Falls quite outdid all of the other schools I'd gone to. I went to English first period, one of my favorites. I had a deep passion for literature, and always had, even when I was human. There's just something about reading and writing that draws me in. I've thought about the reason why I enjoy it so much, and I've always concluded that I have an infatuation with the imagination, and how many stories we can actually tell with our minds.

Afterwards, I headed to Calculus, seemingly unnoticed by all of the adolescent faces in the hallways. I've always kept to myself, to distract from the pumping blood in their necks, and just for the safety of my sanity. I've never really had any friends as a vampire, any human friends that I've been able to make. Being a loner has kind of become my persona.

Unlike a lot of my human self, I didn't really like math. I was pretty good at it, and being 162 years old, I had to make some mistakes just to seem human. But for the most part, Calculus was my least favorite class. If I had to skip that class for some emergency hunting, I'd totally be okay with that.

After French, I headed to the cafeteria, conveniently close to my classroom for next period. I had contemplated my thoughts of this morning, about being near _him, _and I held off on going to the cafeteria. Right before I walked through the double doors into the lunchroom, I turned around and headed to the front office.

Walking inside the white room with dark blue carpet, I approached the desk of a small, frail woman who was working on the computer. I cleared my throat "Excuse me?"

My voice startled her, "Oh dear, you scared me! I'm so sorry; I should have been paying attention. What can I do for you?"

I smiled at her kindness. "I was wondering if I could switch a couple of my periods around? I'm a new student here, and my classes are all over the place. I really don't want to get lost. Would you mind switching my classes around for me?" I asked, making sure not to seem too demanding.

"Oh, honey. I don't know. I don't think I can do that—"

I stared into her eyes, using my compulsion, "Please change my schedule to History, English, Physics, Lunch, and then French. Calculus can be after that," and she looked at me with wide, brainwashed eyes. "Okay," she said, typing some things into the computer before I heard the printer in the other room go off. Smiling, I looked at her again, "Thank you. You won't remember having done this," and I sped in to get my schedule. I walked out before the little old lady could see me, and she went right back to work on the computer.

I chose the lunchroom next, because I was hungry. And not that kind of hungry that makes me seem like some sort of animal, I had actual animals for that, but I felt like having a nice sandwich, like all of the other teenagers at this school. I got in line, behind a seemingly medium-sized boy who was grabbing four sandwiches, two bags of chips, an apple (thankfully), and two cartons of milk, which seemed like a mountain against my simple PB&J and orange juice.  
Paying the heavy-set woman, who looked at me with a gazillion dimples and looked like Aunt Jemimah, I set out to find a table, by myself. I wasn't up for meeting a bunch of new people. I was getting a lot of stares, from guys mostly, but I continued on my way out towards the patio where I had spotted an empty table underneath a shady tree. Though my amulet would protect me against burning in the sun, I could never be too safe.

As I stepped out into the sunshine, _he _caught my eye. His friends also spotted me, and as I walked through the gleaming rays, I quickly darted towards the table with a shady tree, avoiding all possible eye contact. Setting my tray of food on the table, I speedily began to unwrap my sandwich and open my carton of OJ. I thought that maybe if I ate fast enough, I could get out before his friend began to hit on me. His eyes gave him away, if his drool didn't.

As I continued to eat my lunch, I felt a presence on the other side of the concrete table. Standing before me was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and gorgeous dark brown eyes. They made me almost jealous of them. Smiling, I turned my body fully towards her and waited for her to speak. When she continued to stare awkwardly at me, I quietly spoke a "Hi."

She beamed at me, "Hello! My name is Lexi. I was sitting over there with that pig Mason Lockwood. He was the one drooling over you. But his friend, Stefan; he admires you a lot. Would you like to come sit with us today?"

I looked at her and over at her table. Stefanwas quietly eating and trying to make a conversation about the upcoming bonfire, but I could tell Mason was just trying to talk about me some more. I looked straight at him when his gaze began to come my way. I smiled, winking at him. He freaked out and started shaking Stefan profusely.

I looked back at Lexi, who had just looked back at her obnoxious friends and started to giggle. Grinning at her, I spoke. "That is really polite of you, but I wouldn't want to intrude. You seem like you're already full…"

As I began to focus back on my lunch, she brought my attention back to her. "Sweetie, it's fine. They'll make room. They aren't fully aware, but I'm the head bitch over there. They do whatever I say," she blurted confidently, causing me to smile at such courage. I took a deep breath, taking in the earthy smell of the Oak tree next to me, and I nodded. As Lexi jumped up happily and waited for me to gather my things, I could hear Mason beginning to squirm in his seat.

"Dude, why is Lexi leaving? Is it something I said?" Mason questioned me incessantly, wondering why Lexi had left.

I began to soothe his worry, "Mason, chill out. She's probably going to get some more food or something. I doubt she'd actually go talk to Elena."

He shook his head violently, and began to contradict me. "I don't know, bro, you might want to turn around."

Furrowing my brows and following his orders, I twisted to find that Lexi was indeed talking to Elena. I resumed my normal position in front of my food and tried to get his mind out of Elena's cleavage. "Mason, dude, are you going to the bonfire? I think we're signed up to bring beer or something, according to Lexi. Can we get some from your Dad?" I asked, trying to shake him out of his current thoughts.

Mason watched her talking to Lexi, eyes widened in amazement. "Uh, yeah, I can pick some up. My dad probably will be at a bar with my mom, and we'll have an abundance of beverages to drink," he said, grinning at his realization. His parents would be out. Long enough so that we could take his stash without them realizing until after they got home. "Oh, and if you get shit-faced, you can just spend the night at my house. I'm sure your mom won't mind, even if it's a school night, right?"

I gave him a wavering look, "Hmmm…I don't really know. As long as I'm not doing drugs I think my mom wouldn't care. She'd be a little suspicious, but it's better than being fucked up again," and after I concluded, I began to giggle. I chuckled at the stupid mistakes I'd made, and how I'd gotten over them so quickly. It was almost as if they didn't faze me; as if the truth about my father didn't faze me. I just hadn't admitted that yet.

Before Mason could join in on my laughter, I saw Lexi walking back towards our tables, smirking. She had this look that made it seem she was over-pleased with herself. Behind her, Elena was walking towards us as well. I could hear Mason's breath hitch as he watched her glide our way. My mouth was thankfully closed, but I quickly gathered my books and moved them to the other side of me so that Elena could sit next to me.

"Guys, this is Elena. She's going to sit with us at lunch today," Lexi introduced, smirking and taking her place across from Mason and I. After moving my shit to the other side of me, Elena gingerly placed her books on the ground, but I was quick to lightly touch her arm,

"Feel free to put your books on the bench between us. I can definitely move over," I offered, smiling and reveling in the softness of her skin.

She smiled, shyly, as if she wasn't sure if it was the right expression to give. Placing her books in between us, something inside me lessened, whether it was my emotions or my heart beat. "Oh, that's not polite. There shouldn't be a load of books between two people having a conversation. US History text books deserve to be put on the ground."

She chuckled, softly but soothingly, and I couldn't help but let the corners of my mouth slide up to reveal my teeth and elated expression. Her very presence was overwhelmingly intoxicating, and I wondered how she'd stumbled into our lives so fast.

All of these feelings for this stranger had come so quick, and I realized that I was ogling like a lovesick puppy. Straightening my back out and returning to my lunch, my smile faded, but the feeling inside remained rampant.

"Mason, will you please go get me a fork for my salad?" Lexi asked, but her request came unexpectedly. My mind had become foggy, unsure of the events that had just happened, and my head snapped up.

"I'll go," I gestured, "I need to get some food anyway." As I got up, Lexi eyed me closely.

"Stefan. You've already eaten, like, two burgers," Lexi retorted, questioning my expression. She then realized that I needed a couple of minutes to myself, to regain composure from whatever semi-traumatic experience I'd just encountered. "But then again, you're fat."

"Exactly," I replied, grinning, "I eat my feelings, and they taste great." Finishing my comment, I leaned back off the table, and spun around, walking towards the cafeteria doors.

Wind gusts swept my neck and arms from Mason's presence and I anxiously awaited his interrogation of my reaction to Elena's proximity to me. However, my anxiety was quickly submerged when I realized that it was Mason, and he was bound to talk about Elena, not me.

"Damn she's hot. So exotic. I'd tap that—"

"Mason, stop it. She's not some piece of ass," I snapped, instantly hating that he objectified such a seemingly nice girl. I didn't know anything substantial about her, but if I had, I'd know that she didn't deserve to be talked about that way.

"Jeez, Stefan, cool it. It's not like you're dating her or anything…unless you're dating her in your mind like a nerd," and with his comment, I stop in my tracks and turn around to face him.

"You're right. I'm not dating her, but that doesn't mean that you need to go around disrespecting her just because you want to bang her. She's a human being like every other girl. You shouldn't talk about her like that." With my statement, he looked at me in awe, like a lost puppy, and immediately his mood changed.

"You got it, Stef. I guess I didn't see it, but…you're totally whipped by a girl that you don't even know!" He yelled at me, scooting past to buy his fourth burger.

Rolling my eyes, I continued to the salad bar. As I loaded up my plate, I felt another breeze come my way, but it smelled sweet, floral. I imagined it was Lexi, but when I turned around, I was surprised to see Elena looking up at me with angelic eyes.

"Elena, uh, hi," I stammered, unsure of what to say. As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how stupid I sounded.

"Hi, Stefan. I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you," she apologized, sweetly, and it made my heart drop as I realized what a compassionate creature she was. She joined me at my side and began to fill her plate with salad as well.

"So…" I began, but I didn't know where to go.

"I heard him, Stefan," she said, and I instantly noticed that Mason had overheard her words and scurried back to the table with Lexi. Stunned, I struggled to find words, but hers instantly shut my mouth. "And I came to say thank you. What you said to Mason was very…courteous. I'm glad that you have a better respect for women than he does."

Before my mouth opened again, she smiled and I couldn't help but smile with her. "It's not a big deal, I just don't feel that girls should be subjected to such graphic terms. And I'm not mentally dating you or anything, he was just being—"

"I understand," she interjected, knowing that I probably would have said something grammatically incorrect and wrong to the point that she would just walk away. "Are you going to the game on Friday?" she asked, unexpectedly. For a new girl, I was surprised she was already planning to attend a game.

"Actually, yes. I'm not trying out for the team this year, but I'll be in the stands," I answered, growing increasingly inquisitive as to why she'd asked such a question.

"Well, I was hoping to go with someone. I'm sorry if that's so forward, but Lexi doesn't seem like she'd be in the stands. I gather she's a cheerleader, or someone who would be up and roaming around, saying hi to the entire planet."

As soon as she finished, I laughed at her assumption of Lexi, as it was correct. "Yes," I agreed, "She is just like that. Nevertheless, to answer your question, I will be there. And, hey, we could grab some dinner at the grill beforehand or after or something," but immediately after I'd offered dinner, I realized that I'd indirectly asked her on a date.

"That seems very welcoming and nice. I would love to," she replied, smiling that sweet, sweet smile. Matching hers, we continued talking about little things, walking back to the lunch table where Lexi was smacking Mason upside the head for some reason. Both of us returning to the seats we had occupied before, Lexi stopped scolding Mason and shot me a perplexing look, to which I gave her a shrug. Smirking, she looked between Elena and I, silently analyzing the situation.

"So, Elena, are you going to the game on Friday?" Lexi asked, startling both Elena and I out of a similar funk we had been experiencing.

"Why, Stefan and I were just discussing that," Elena piped, smiling and tucking some hair behind her ear, revealing sparking diamond earrings. "I believe that Stefan and I are going to grab a bite to eat beforehand and then go to the game. Would you two like to join us?"

This girl kept surprising me. So polite and innocent, I wondered how her parents had taught her to be so kind.

Mason spun around to face her, giving her his "sexy smolder" as he called it. "Why, yes, I would love to. Thank you for asking." Shooting me a beaming smile, he looked back at Elena, gazing into her eyes.

Lexi smacked him in the arm. "I'm so sorry about him, he's a little strange. I don't even know why we're friends with him," she apologized, "but you are so courteous. I would love to go out to dinner! My parents have been a little MIA lately, and I do need some company. Hey, speaking of outings, Elena, are you planning to go to the bonfire tonight?" Placing her hands under her chin, she looked towards Elena, intrigued.

Elena hesitated, but finally her stature relaxed ever so slightly. "I had no idea there was one, but I'm sure it could be fun. Yes, I can."

As soon as she agreed, the bell rang from inside the cafeteria, and we all gathered up our books and began to head to class. I caught up with Elena, stuffing my books in my backpack. "Hey, Elena, wait up!"

"Damn she's hot. So exotic. I'd tap that—"

"Mason, stop it. She's not some piece of ass.." I heard Stefan as I got up to go into the cafeteria. I had to be around him, know that he was within reach. I was feeling quite elated by the fact that this stranger that I'd come to be infatuated with had stuck up for me as a woman. Back in the olden days, all men did that, and it was called chivalry. I thought the 21st century had left men pigs obsessed with sex, but apparently, not all was lost.

"Lexi, I'm going to get a salad. Would you like to join me?" I inquired, trying to look as sincere and human as possible. She looked up at me, smiled shyly, and shook her head, pointing at her calculus homework. Nodding in understanding, I got up from the table and walked towards the door, honing in on Stefan and Mason's conversation.

"…you shouldn't talk about her like that," I overheard, searching the lunch room for Stefan and Mason. I finally settled on some group of girls giggling about Stefan looking at them, and another group of girls, more slutty than the other group, gazing desperately at Mason. Rolling my eyes, I walked slower to the salad bar, where I knew Stefan would probably go. He seemed like the cool salad guy.

He approached the salad station, and I swiftly drew near him from behind, too focused on him to realize that my speed was faster than a normal human, and a gust of wind followed me. I mouthed a "shit" and waited for Stefan to turn to face me.

"Elena, uh, hi," he stammered, looking at me as if I was an alien. His deep emerald eyes mesmerized me until I realized I'd remained speechless.

"Stefan, hey, so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!" I assured him, quickly facing the endless supply of leaves and vegetables to fill my already full stomach. I began to reach for the spinach mix when I heard him clear his throat.

"So…" he began, unsure of where to go next.

"I heard him, Stefan," I declared, loud and clear, making sure that the nearby Mason heard me and scurried back to the table, approaching another scolding by Lexi. "And I came to say thank you. What you said to Mason was very…courteous. I'm glad that you have a better respect for women than he does."

He looked at me, surprised that I said such a statement and his tense and unsure demeanor softened as his shoulders rested and he grabbed the rest of his salad.

"It's not a big deal, I just don't feel that girls should be subjected to such graphic terms. And I'm not mentally dating you or anything, he was just being—"

"I understand," I interjected, making sure to keep him from seeming too talkative. I could tell in his behavior that he felt he was talking too much, and at that age, I felt the same way.

We talked about the game, I asked if he was going, and to my surprise, he was not trying out for the team. With a build like his, I'm sure he would've been the star quarterback. Inviting me to go out to dinner beforehand, I obviously accepted, since I could not keep my thoughts or my eyes off him. I watched his eyes as they nervously looked anywhere but towards me, and I could sense that he was anxious about something.

Walking back to the table, I smiled and giggled as Lexi smacked Mason upside the head. Involuntarily I listened in on their conversation, silently giving Lexi mad props for sticking up for all the other girls I was sure Mason had victimized.

"You douche bag, are you fucking kidding me? Why would you even say that about her? You haven't said an entire sentence to her, and you're already deeming her a fuck buddy of yours. No wonder you're so stupid," she scolded, watching his eyes intently. He wasn't very intimidated and could sense my presence inching closer to his as I walked with Stefan back to the lunch table.

Taking our seats back, Lexi immediately turned her attention towards me with a very inviting smile and resolve of anger from Mason's stupidity. "So, Elena, are you going to the game on Friday?"

"Why, Stefan and I were just discussing that," I piped, "I believe that Stefan and I are going to grab a bite to eat beforehand and then go to the game. Would you two like to join us?" I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and silently reveled in the cool breeze that swept across my ear.

"Why, yes, I would love to. Thank you for asking," Mason spat, spinning around and attempting to seduce me with this awkward smolder-like face. Lexi smacked him in the arm.

"I'm so sorry about him, he's a little strange. I don't even know why we're friends with him," she apologized, "but you are so courteous. I would love to go out to dinner!" she accepted, her happiness causing me to smile. "Hey, speaking of outings, Elena," she began again, "Are you planning to go to the bonfire tonight? It's tradition on the first day of school, all of the upperclassmen go!"

I pondered the idea. Would it be a good idea for me to be around that many beating heartbeats? I'd sustained an animal blood-only diet for over a century already, but I was now around Stefan, who made me forget who I was.

I relaxed my posture and answered, "I had no idea there was one, but I'm sure it could be fun. Yes, I can."

Clapping of joy, we plan to drive there separately and then meet in the parking lot beforehand. I hear the bell ring from inside and I quickly gather up my few items and begin to walk towards my next class.

"Hey, Elena, wait up!" I hear his angelic voice, and I slow my pace, waiting for him to come by my side.

**What do you think? Is this too weird? I'm sorry this is super boring, but this is kind of like a prologue, considering this was the pilot. I've worked on this for like the past five months, and I think this is as much as I can write without it going on and on and on. Please PM with anything you'd like to know!**


	2. Revelations

**Okay. **

**Y'all are awesome. I'm glad that you all like this! It took me a really long time to write the first chapter because school is literally terrible. I want to burn all of my homework every time I even look at it. **

**I'm just going to calm down and let you read. I'm extremely grateful for all of your lovely comments. Hard work pays off.**

**PS: So sorry about the POV mix-ups, I'll eventually upload a new chapter, but this one is separated. Finally. My b, guys, my b.**

**Enjoy *hearts**

Chapter 2

_*previously on the vampire diaries*_

_"Hey, Elena, wait up!" I hear his angelic voice, and I slow my pace, waiting for him to come by my side._

**Elena**

He rushed to walk in synch with me, and I couldn't help but smile. This guy never ceased to amaze me, even though I had only met him that day. Stefan had stood up for me when Mason was talking of me in such a horrid manner, and he had invited me to dinner before the football game. Not to mention I could tell he was hoping I was going to be at the bonfire later that evening. I'd been to many a bonfire in my lifetime, but never a high school, alcohol-laden celebration of the first day of school. I was hoping that it would be a new experience for me, or a chance that I could get to know Stefan more.

"Where are you off to?" he questioned, pulling me out of my thoughts. Remembering that I had changed my schedule this morning, I pulled out my list of classes for the day and looked at it, though I already knew what it was.

"It seems that I have French next, Stefan," I answered, hoping that he would have the same schedule as me. "What about you? Where are you going now?"

A smile played on his lips as we continued walking through the cafeteria together. "Turns out I also have French next. It looks like we'll see more of each other than I thought!" He reveled in this as we strode to class, talking about mindless things, planning for the bonfire. I had agreed that I would go to the bonfire, and Stefan told me that he would meet me there. Secretly, however, I was hoping that he would offer to take me. Seeing that it was probably going to fast, I quickly realized how infatuated I was with this boy that I had only known for a small amount of time. _God, I'm like a little schoolgirl, _I thought to myself.

Walking into French, I could tell that people had been talking about my arrival. Though it didn't bother me, I could tell that Stefan wasn't going to converse in the silence that had swept across the room. Stefan and I took our spots in the back of the class, and prepared to start.

I'd be lying if I said that Stefan wasn't on my mind the entire time that we were in class. I casually would glance over as our teacher went over classroom guidelines and I was sure to return my eyes to the front of the room. Just as I resumed listening to our teacher, however, I saw Stefan returning my gaze out of my peripheral vision. We had the same mindset, and it gave me a little flutter inside.

Our discussion in French ended a little early, so Stefan came over and sat on my desk, earning a smile and giggle from me. "So, Elena, are you excited for the bonfire tonight? It'll be ridden with alcohol, but loads of fun, I promise," he told me, placing a hand over his heart and smugly grinning at me. I peered into his deep, emerald eyes, and the corners of my mouth revealing my smile.

"Why, I cannot wait to get wasted and dance like there's no tomorrow!" I exclaimed, causing some stirring among our peers. Embarrassed by my little outbreak, I silently gathered up my belongings and began walking towards the entrance to the classroom. Before Stefan could object, I looked to him, gave him a smirk, and listened for the bell that rang moments later. Joining in on my laughter, he and I exited the classroom, bidding each other goodbye until the bonfire.

**Stefan**

This girl seemed so much more intricate than I had originally imagined. There was something about her demeanor, her appearance, the way she carried herself; it was like she'd lived for as long as the earth was round and that she understood how to be herself. So many girls treat themselves harshly because of their appearances, whereas Elena had accepted herself in all different lights.

We departed after French, though we both secretly knew we didn't want to. I had casually glanced over at her during class, quickly snapping my head back to the front of the classroom before she could tell. I could see her looking my way out of my peripheral vision at some points, though. It gave me butterflies, as cliché as that sounds.

The rest of the day flashed by quickly. By the time I had realized it, it was the end of my last period, and I was actually ready to go home. Surprisingly, my homework load wasn't as large as I thought it was going to be. Junior year was supposedly the hardest year academically, but how was I supposed to know – it was only the first day.

Lexi and I met up after school at my locker, and while I gathered my books together, she gossiped to me about Elena. When she had said she was in calculus with Elena, she attended that class with her before Elena got her schedule changed miraculously, so she ended up going to calculus twice that day. It was peculiar that the office would let her change her schedule so rapidly, but maybe they were lenient towards brand new students.

Walking outside the front entrance of the school towards the parking lot, I caught sight of Elena walking a little ahead of us. Lexi immediately jumped at the chance to call her name.

"Hey, Elena! Wait!" she exclaimed, earning a rapid turnaround from Elena. Stopping in her tracks, her serious facial expression instantly softened into one of happiness and elation.

"Hello Lexi, Stefan," she replied, looking a little longer at me than she had at Lexi. "Can I help you?"

Lexi chuckled, "I was wondering if you wanted to come over and get ready for the bonfire tonight. All of my other bitch friends decided that they were just going to get ready by themselves…"

Elena contemplated this idea for a short while, until her smile revealed her answer. "Why, of course! Why not?"

Lexi jumped out of joy, as she did a lot, and she hooked arms with Elena, leading her off. Smirking, I waved them off and continued towards my car. It had been in the sun, despite the chill in the air, and it was just the right temperature inside to calm me down from the day. Over the summer, when I'd had a hard day, meaning I had just woken up on the wrong side of the wrong bed, it was drugs that comforted me. However, the smell of my leather interior of my antique little car and the perfect temperature were some of the things I attempted to revel in during those tiny moments where the world was right.

By the time I got home, Caroline had slammed through the door, throwing her books and purse on the kitchen table. Thankfully, nothing had spilled out, or I probably would have witnessed some things that I didn't really want to see.

Ignoring the pile of clothes that Caroline had so conveniently discarded in front of my bedroom door, I put my car keys, wallet, and phone on a tray close to my door. After setting down my backpack by my desk, I quickly grabbed my journal, pen, and phone with its earphones and hurried back out of my room. On my way out the door, I caught a suspicious eye from Caroline, but ignored it, focusing more on the task at hand.

I traveled through the neighborhood listening to my music for a good twenty minutes, enjoying the brisk pace I'd maintained and quite awesome song selection that my iPod had shuffled for me. By the time I had finished an album of The Cab, I was already at my destination.

Opening the gate ever so slightly, I flinched at the rusty creak that emanated from it, as if it was screeching from arthritis. Making sure to leave it the way it had originally been placed, I continued on the wandering walkway, taking curved lefts and rights until I came upon what I was searching for.

Amidst tons of concrete, dead grass, and wilting flowers, I came upon my father's gravestone, empty of deliveries. Sitting down, I rested my head against the cold stone and began writing again.

Dear Diary,

I survived today. I didn't cause too much commotion, or stir up any trouble. But, I met a girl. A beautiful girl, and she has no idea of what I used to be. How I was. Something about today is telling me that everything will be better. Not great, just better.

Satisfied, I capped my men, closed my journal, and set it aside on the ground. Pulling my knees to my chest, I leaned back on the tombstone, deep in thought whilst listening to my new Fleet Foxes album. Lids closed, I drifted off into daydreams about my dad and when we wood play catch in a clearing not too far from our house. His smile was contagious, and I inherited his humor, and that great smile to match. Grinning, I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of a large, black crow perched above a tombstone nearby. Perturbed, I slowly rose from the dead grass around me and lunged toward the creature, swatting my hands furiously so that the bird would fly away. Much to my dismay, the crow barely flinched.

It seemed like a good time to head home, as I'd already been out of the house for almost an hour and the bonfire would start soon. _And I will get to see Elena, _I thought to myself. Retrieving my items from the ground, I started off towards the gate where I'd entered earlier, only to be stopped by the same, abnormally large bird. Only this time, his ca-cawing scared the hell out of me, and I ran for the hills.

Weaving my way through the disarray of tombstones and flowers scattered across the dirt, the edge of the nearby forest came into view, and I felt my legs quicken their speed as I reached the wall of trees in front of me.

Maneuvering through the hundreds of wisps, leaves, and low branches, I finally made it to a clearing by a small, quiet river. Catching my breath, a soft, unfamiliar breeze breathed on my face but was accompanied by a familiar scent.

"Hello, Stefan," a thick, velvety voice called. Startled I jumped backwards, hitting my back against a nearby tree. Rubbing my sore arm, I looked up to see Elena standing there with a grin on her face that quickly morphed into a look of sympathy. "Are you alright? That was quite a blow!"

Smiling sheepishly, I anchored myself off of the tree and swiped off the residual bark from my jacket. "Yes, I'm fine. You just startled me is all. What are you doing here? Are you following me?" I inquired, becoming a little flustered at her sudden appearance.

Innocence in her eyes, she pulled some hair from her face behind her ear, and silently whispered, "I have family here."

Feeling like a fucking idiot, I stepped closer to her, feeling remorseful. "God dammit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. There was just this fucking bird and it was following me and it was larger than a regular bird and…gah, I'm sorry. Please forgive me." I could feel myself rambling and in order to keep my cool, I rubbed my hands up my arms as if I was cold, calming myself down.

"Stefan, it's alright," she cooed, soothing my nerves. "I do hope you're alright, though, because that was quite a blow to that tree. Are you sure you didn't…" she stopped, slightly sniffing.

Confused, I took off my jacket and noticed a cut forming on the back of my bicep, bleeding. "Oh, shit. Yeah, but I'll be fine, it's nothing but a…" and as soon as I looked up, she had vanished. "…scratch."

**Elena**

Fire. All I could think about was the fire in my lungs as I gasped. Leaving the school grounds, I drove straight home, set on finding solace in the basement. As I sped down the highway, I pulled into the driveway, screeching to a stop and moving fast to quench my thirst.

Being at the school all day had curved my appetite, and I was craving again. I hated the monster I had become. Pumping blood coursing through hundreds of lusty, vitalized teenagers had created an atmosphere that I was both comfortable and uncomfortable in. The comfort of the atmosphere awakened my guilt within that I had long since suppressed, and the discomfort I felt resulted from the realization that I could slip at any moment.

Weaving through the many halls of my large, creaky estate, I found the secret door in the wall at the back of the pantry, slamming it open and running to the ice box; there was bound to be some animal blood or something I'd left for later. I wasn't craving as much as normal, but I wanted to restrain myself enough in order to keep from murdering anyone at the bonfire.

Cranking it open, as it'd been closed and frozen for quite some time, I searched through the ice to find a container of deer blood I'd saved from my latest kill to stem the amount of killings I was performing. If I kept hunting in the woods, there was a greater chance of me being caught, or worse – killed.

Gorging down a good pint of blood, I licked my lips, savoring in the cold, viscous liquid slowly coating my burning throat. My cravings were now subdued enough that I could make it through the night satisfied.

Closing the cooler, I made my way back up the stairs. After locking the pantry to prevent anyone from knowing where I was, a familiar smell of banana bread wafted towards me as I emerged from the cavity of food which I rarely ate from. Isobel was making banana bread, one of her greatest recipes, and singing to herself an old song from the eighties. Giggling, I walked over and sat on the kitchen counter, admiring her cooking skills, as my mother had never taught me how, even back in the 1800s.

"You know, my great grandmother came up with a recipe like this, but I added my own little touch," she started, "and I think that this could win a prize if I entered it at the Founder's Day Parade contest!" Smiling brightly, I could feel her relishing in her own daydream of winning first prize. Almost consecutively since three years prior, Sheriff Forbes' pies had stolen the awards and gained the most recognition.

However, I felt like I might have a little chat with the sheriff to ensure that Isobel got her wish.

"I sure hope you do," I cooed, grinning and pushing myself off the counter. "I'm going out for a little walk. I'll be back in a little bit, but then I'm going to the bonfire so I'll be out pretty late. Don't wait up. However, you better be saving me some of that bread. You know it's—"

"Your favorite, I know. I will. Have fun!"

Waving goodbye, I exited through the front door and began walking down the gravel driveway towards the entrance. Looking towards the sky, I admired how large the oak trees had gotten. In a fit of spontaneity, I laughed, reminiscing about spending time up in the trees with my sister, Katherine, who I hadn't heard from in decades. When we were little girls, we would climb up the oak trees around the estate and play games, tell each other secrets, and put acorns in our hair like little accessories. After we were vampires, though, our relationship stayed the same for awhile, until Katherine felt more inclined to go off into the world and fully express her vampirism. For years I stayed at the house, hoping and waiting for her to come back, but she never did.

I ran into her a couple of times in the early 1900s, the 20s, and some times in the 1950s, but after that, I'd forgotten about her to an extent. It felt as though there was a hole in my heart after she left my presence, and those feelings had never really gone away.

Walking towards a nearby tree, I grabbed a hold of the ancient bark and began to climb towards the top, planning on jumping through the fall leaves, in all their autumn luster, in direction of a special place I held very sacred.

In almost no time, my place of interest came into view, and I quietly crawled back down the tree, landing on the grass and splashing a little mud onto my boots. _God dammit, _I mentally cursed, _new shoes. Even with nerves of steel I cannot escape my inner klutz. _Shaking off the excess that was still wet, I stepped onto a trail that had formed over the years and followed it through the back of the cemetery. Almost all of my relative were buried in the back, as they were one of the largest families in Mystic Falls, before the cemetery expanded.

Surrounded by a thick sheet of fall leaves and drooping branches, I found the old, black iron fence that separated my family from the rest of the deceased. Opening it slightly, I cringed at the creak that escaped from the rusty hinges and managed to step through and shut the gate before it could make too much noise.

Suddenly, I heard heavy breathing in the distance, followed by rapid crunching of leaves that had settled on the forest floor, and I knew that it was someone running from something. My inner humanitarian got the best of me, and I began running towards the source of the sound until I reached a little clearing by a river.

And the person that came into view evoked a gasp from my lips.

**Stefan**

_Well, that was odd,_ I thought to myself. She had disappeared just as fast as she had appeared, and I had been such a fucking douche bag for assuming that she was following me. I had just met her, and I was already predicting that she was obsessed with me. Distraught about my awkward and sudden pretentiousness, I pulled on my jacket, minding my new abrasion to my arm, and crossed over the nearby stone bridge, heading for home to get ready for the bonfire.

The walk home was filled with questions that kept arising in my head. Somehow, Elena evoked a strange feeling within me, like, in another life, I had known her. Though I'd only met her that day, I had to know her. To find out what it was about her that I found so thought-provoking, so exotic, so…new. She brought this vitality, this freshness that I had been severely lacking in my life for quite some time, and it sparked my interest and created a craving to know more.

Walking through the front door, I could already hear Caroline squealing and rushing around the top floor, footsteps pounding on the creaky wood that I had yet to fix for my mom's Mother's Day Present from two years ago. Oops.

"Stefan!" Caroline screeched, coming down the stairs, dressed in a fluffy robe and perfectly paired with fuzzy slippers and hot pink hot rollers in her hair. "I need you to help me. Matt Donovan is going to be at the bonfire tonight, and I have to look hot! Will you help me with what I should wear?"

Pleading with her eyes, I caved, nodding and smiling, obviously not prepared for what I was getting myself into.

After a long thirty three minutes of trying on outfit after outfit, Car stepped out of the bathroom in a short, black dress with a denim vest and brown sandals. Soft curls loose about her face, I hadn't seen her look this pretty in a long time.

"So?" she inquired.

Snapping out of my daze, I smiled, stood up, and sauntered over to her and gave her a teddy bear hug. "Car, you look great. Any guy would be lucky to have you," I whispered into her neck, hugging her close. Our relationship hadn't been like most brother-sister relationships where we fought constantly and had some sort of instinctual animosity towards each other. I was fond of Caroline and all that she had accomplished in her lifetime.

"You think so?"

"I know so, squirt," I cooed, smiling and letting her out of my grasp. Readjusting her outfit, she walked over to her full-length mirror and admired her backside before anything else, screeching and jumping up and down. Spinning around in place, she gave me a devious look, and it could only mean one thing.

I was now the mannequin.

**A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than my last one, but I don't want each chapter to be this long fest of me trying to squeeze everything in without going to fast. Hopefully, the long wait was satisfying, and I've already begun on chapter three, so please stay tuned! I'm going to be in Georgia for another week or so, so I'll have plenty of time to keep writing. Thanks bbs. **


	3. Heat

Heat

**Stefan**

There was something about bonfires at Mystic Falls High that really attracted everyone. Demographics didn't play a key role like I'd always secretly thought – people of all social status and clique groups came. Stoners, cheerleaders, jocks, nerds, even our little group of friends – which was a little dismantled after Bonnie and I ended things. However, I felt that Elena's addition to the group could somehow mend the mutual ties that we all had together.

It was my job to take Caroline – she decided that she didn't want to drive tonight, mostly because she planned on drinking and attempting to hook up with Matt Donovan – and so we carpooled to the bonfire. We arrived a little later than we had planned – Car's idea because she insisted on changing her shoes and handbag over and over again before she settled on the shoes we'd originally agreed on and the idea that she didn't need anything but her keys and her phone.

Parking in a dirt lot close to the gazebo by the bonfire, a sense of loneliness came over me. Looking to my right, I saw that Caroline wasn't standing there. As I bent down to look in the mirror, a look on my face that could be taken in many different facades of anger, nimble fingers were wiping mascara smudges and smoothing lip gloss on her big mouth.

"You about done, princess?" I questioned, knocking on my window with my knuckles.

Without a word, her hands gestured for me to leave and go off on my own. Oddly, I found myself walking away anyway, even if she hadn't asked me. At first, I wasn't sure what had prompted me to not wait up for Caroline, but then I instantly realized.

Involuntarily, I was searching for Elena through the thick smoke and large, hot crowd of high school students. _Where was she? Did she bail?_

Cooler in sight, I made my way over to the blue ice chest to grab myself a beer, when a familiar pair of hands gripped my shoulders, hard.

"What is up, dude," Mason's voice boomed, my eardrums vibrating like the gentle hum of my car. "You got here kind of late, but there is about to be a wet t-shirt contest. You almost missed it!"

Smiling, I escaped his grasp with swiftness and put my hand on his collarbones. "Oh, shit, glad I didn't miss the main event…buuuuuutttt I think I'm going to pass this time." With a double tap on his enlarged shoulder muscles, I went back to cracking my beer open on a nearby tree branch. "Speaking of girls," I started, taking a large swig of my beer, "have you seen—"

"Elena? Yeah, she's competing, bro," he said nonchalantly. Eyes widened in shock, I pondered the idea that Elena would voluntarily go braless and participate in a wet t-shirt contest. "Ohh," he shouted as a fog horn blared, "it's starting! Come on!"

Pushing me forward, we half-ran to a clearing where a bunch of slutty girls from our girls were standing, waiting to be sprayed with water. In the middle was Elena, though she looked a little different. Unable to put my finger on it, I waved at her awkwardly, and her reciprocation was on the more seductive side. She somehow had been different earlier in the day. _Maybe she's drunk or something, _I thought to myself, _she didn't seem this daring this morning._

Mason shoved his beer into my free hand as he sauntered over to a great big container full of colorful water balloons. "Good evening, ladies," Mason boomed, smirking and motioning everyone to quiet down.

"Good evening, Mason," the girls said in unison, as if this was a rehearsed skit.

"You all know the rules.." he started, but I didn't really want to watch anymore. Sure, Elena was giving me a free look at her rack, but, oddly, I felt that I shouldn't do it out of respect. Turning around, I began walking towards the gazebo.

In the corner, I saw Caroline googly-eyed over Matt, who I could tell was in an empire state of mind. Trailing fingers down his chest, she gazed into his eyes, and I felt weirdly intrusive. Now walking towards the bonfire itself, I saw a familiar pair of orbs in the distance, gleaming from the embers of the fire.

"Elena?" I called, confused but wanting to know more.

**Elena**

Quickly, I sprinted back into the trees, escaping the scene that I had just witnessed. _I can't be there, _I mentally noted, _he would have seen me!_

Eyelids fluttering with some sort of tears from emotions or the dryness in the autumn air, my hands found oak bark and I recklessly climbed to the tops of the trees, jumping from tree top to tree top in an effort to escape as quickly as possible.

Without a second thought, I grabbed my phone and dialed Lexi's number, which she had put in my phone at the end of school. Two rings sounded monotonously before a sweet voice answered, "Hello?"

"Lexi? This is Elena. I wanted to ask—"

"Please, do come over now!" she exclaimed, finishing my thought before I had even said it. Surprised I smiled and agreed, ending the call before resuming my climb through the leaves back to the house.

Without hesitation, I grabbed my keys from the front before Isobel had time to taunt me with her baking. Some of the best baking that could most possibly prevent me from leaving. As I blast out the door, I pull out my phone to send a quick text to Lexi:

_On my way, Lexi. Be there soon. – Elena_

As soon as I began to stuff my phone back in my pocket, buzzing vibrated my hands and I retrieved my phone.

_Sweet. See you soon! – Lex :D_

Smiling, her short but seemingly excited text put me at ease as I put my jeep into gear. Maybe hanging out with someone besides my pantry and pastries would keep my mind off of him.

I arrived in record timing with my makeup and a separate outfit that Lexi had asked me to bring. Unlike the "middle school girls who try way to hard to look hot" (as told in Lexi's voice), we were going for an "edgy, sexy, but still mysterious" look (again, Lexi's words, not mine). Pulling out my clothing and materials that I needed, a familiar pair of footsteps trampled in the distance on the stone ground.

"Thank fuck you are here," Lexi's voice shouted as her footsteps slowed to a fast walk. "I need to get ready, and I have no opinions to go off of. Let's take your things upstairs," she rambled, grabbing the things from my arms. Willingly, I released my hold on my clothing and followed her through her front door.

Upstairs, the amount of changing in and out of skinny jeans and crop tops was wearing me out. I was around when skinny jeans came about in the eighties – but they were paired with blaring white sneakers and cut-off sweatshirts. Shivering from the god-awful nostalgia, my attention focuses on Lexi, who has now tried on a pair of dark black skinny jeans with a Clash t-shirt (obviously not vintage – I would know) and her long, blonde locks pulled into a ponytail high on her head. Stunned by her presence, my stare falls to her feet, where I see high top converse and immediately my mind is set at ease. Sexy and edgy yet still with a hint of "I don't give a shit,"

"Wow, Lexi," I exclaim, standing up from the chair in the corner. "You look stunning!"

"I know, right?" she compliments herself with all smiles, but I can see her mockery and I giggle a little. "Now it's time for you, my Elena!"

Hesitant, I cross my arms over my chest. "I don't know," I say apprehensively, "I don't really go for the sexy vibe. Currently I am sans a hot body and I just don't—"

"Shut up. You're hot. If I wasn't straight, I'd go for you. Now for the sake of fuck, please get your tiny ass in the bathroom and change into the outfit I've set out for you!"

Complying, I entered the bathroom and managed to shut the door before she could give me any more demands. On the large counter peppered with creams, perfumes, and colors galore, there was a black leather jacket paired with a deep blue v-neck, skinny jeans, and heeled booties with a blunt heel that wouldn't sink into the ground. After living for over a century, this girl had a better fashion sense than I did when I was her age.

After spending a good amount of time squeezing into the jeans, I stepped out of the bathroom feeling uncomfortable yet somewhat okay with what I was wearing. I was born from a skinny family, and I had kept up my exercise enough to where I was comfortable wearing just about anything.

"Holy shit," she yelled, stomping her way over to me. After tousling my curls that surrounded my face, she stepped back and looked me over. "You're so hot right now,"

"Thank you, Lexi. Are you ready?"

"Absofreakinglutely. Let's boogie, chica," and we sauntered out of her bedroom, leaving my apprehension and worries behind.

The bonfire was in full swing, but we had arrived a little bit earlier than we'd agreed just so we could get the good beer and see people before everyone was too fucked up to have a conversation with. While I followed her around, meeting so many people, I noted that staying friends with Lexi led to many relations with people of all sorts of social status. Finally, we caught up with Matt and Mason, but my mind was elsewhere. _Where is Stefan? _I thought to myself. _He should be here by now. _

I bid Lexi goodbye for a temporary period of time, bracing myself for the large crowd of people that was covered in marijuana fog and the stale smell of mixing beer. Eyes searching for a familiar pair of orbs, I found a group of people gathered around a clearing. With my heels on, I was able to stand towards the back and watch what was going on. In the middle of the clearing, a group of girls stood standing in a line, all wearing white shirts. In the distance, Mason's booming voice echoed as he called out their names.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our candidates: Bonnie, Allison, Taylor, Sarah, and our new student – Elena Pearce!"

I couldn't believe me eyes. _She _was here. She was going to ruin everything. Footsteps send me backwards before anyone noticed that I was in two places at one.

Katherine was here.

I found myself staring at the fire, contemplating what my next move would be. Whenever we'd run into each other, it was just a coincidence; two twins who were reunited after years of separation. On the other hand, there was a deep, gut feeling that her purpose for coming back to Mystic Falls was for a specific reason involving only the benefit of her, rather than settling my sadness.

Looking up, I saw him. Stefan was there, on the other side of the bonfire. Smiling, I walked around the rocks towards him, eagerly longing to be in his arms, comforting me. Knowing that it probably was a bad idea to shove myself on him, I came to settle in front of him, smiling and looking deep into his deep, brown orbs.

"Elena? Why aren't you out in the wet t-shirt contest? I just saw you there…"

I had to start coming up with excuses if Katherine decided to fuck with my life again. "I decided against it," I spat, knowing I was only half-heartedly safe with my answer. "Alcohol – it will do crazy things. Anyway, do you want to go get some dinner? I'm starved, and I really don't want to stick around for the aftermath of Mason's games…"

"Absolutely," he answered without hesitation. "This place is actually a fucking dump. I smelled horse shit earlier. Let me just tell Caroline that we're—" and as soon as he almost finished his sentence, his gaze turned towards Caroline, who was busy sucking face with Matt Donovan. _God damn teenagers._

Ignoring an image I could tell he would rather live without seeing, he gestured for me to walk in front of him as we made our way to his car. An old beetle suited him – vintage, but classic. Somehow he reminded me of somebody that I had known long before his time, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"You okay? You seem to be contemplating life or something," Stefan cooed, coaxing me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed by this day, but maybe I am just hungry, too," I reasoned, which wasn't entirely false; I was hungry, but not really for a burger from the Grill – I wanted something a little more meaty, but I had to restrain myself in this town to keep myself from being found out.

Though the beginning of the ride to the Grill was silent, a conversation slowly weaved its way through our tongues as we discussed 80s rock and Pulp Fiction. Comfortable and at ease, we didn't even realize we'd been parked in front of the Grill for fifteen minutes.

Giggling, we both unbuckled our seatbelts simultaneously, but neither of us wanted to leave just yet. "You know," I began, "It's really nice being able to talk to you, Stefan. It just feels so easy with you, like I can tell you anything." Looking into his eyes, I could tell he felt the same way. Ignoring the possible consequences that could I arise if I told him, I opened my mouth to tell him what I needed to get off my chest.

Until I realized what I was doing. In a split second, I zipped my mouth, knowing that I was already going to far.

"Me, too," he replied, pulling me out of my thoughts. His hands were rested one on the steering wheel, and one on his muscled thigh. My eyes wandered to the latter, but I made sure to snap my gaze to his eyes. "You ready to grab some food?"

Nodding, we exited the car before entering the restaurant. Traditionally, I expected him to go before me through the door, but he surprised me by proceeding to swing the door open and let me through first. What a gentleman.

For the rest of the night, we spent chatting about little things – favorite fruits, movies that we should see together, easy jokes that both of us could giggle at. For some strange reason, I was communicating better with Stefan, an acquaintance, better than I had some friends when I was really seventeen back in the 1860s. Times were different then – there were different standards.

Around eleven forty-five, I reluctantly wanted to let Stefan get home. I didn't have a curfew, but I'm sure his mother, the sheriff, wanted him home. "Stefan," I whispered coolly, "I'm sure your mother wants you home." He looked at me with a sadness in his eyes that utterly broke my heart; pain in a stranger's eyes was something that hurt me to the core.

"You're probably right," he agreed but with a hint of malice and melancholy. After paying our check, we continued to leave the restaurant. Opening the door, I was met with a metal clang in my eardrums as Stefan closed it.

"Elena, I…"

"Yes?"

Sadly, he looked to his feet before meeting my gaze again. "I had a really great time tonight. You are a lot more interesting than—"

"You originally thought?" I answered, smiling.

He chuckled. "Yeah…Tonight was something that I really needed. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

"Same same," I replied, realizing that I hadn't used that expression of mine in a long time. When I was younger, I would always reply "same same" instead of "me, too" or "I feel the same way." Something told me that rekindling that old habit was a good sign.

Riding home was the reverse of the ride to the Grill. What was a flurry of various comments and bouts of laughter slowly died down until the tension was filling the space within the car.

Pulling up to my driveway, my hand raised high enough for Stefan to notice. "I'm good here,"

"Please," he insisted, "let me walk you to your door. It's the least I could do.

"Oh you don't have to—"

"I know. But I want to," he said with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

Nods. Nods were all I could muster as I reached for the handle.

Slowly but surely walking towards the front door, we reached the patio before his hand grazed mine from behind. A gasp escaped my lips as I twisted to see him attempting to grab my hand. "Elena, wait."

"Yes?" Hesitation was evident and I knew that patience would set him at ease. "What is it?"

"Will…will I see you tomorrow?" he asked me.

"Why…yes I will. Goodnight Stefan," I breathed as my hand left his and grasped the front door handle, leaving a dazed Stefan on the patio.

**How is it going so far? Please review, I encourage you to tell me how you think it is! - miller**


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